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Bamboo floors, eco-friendly tile and paint, energy efficient appliances and oversized, operable picture windows are the interior hallmarks of Oakland Park, a loft and condominium project under construction in historic Grant Park. Oakland Park is anticipating LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC), making it one of the first multi-unit residential buildings to be LEED certified in Atlanta.
“Interior finishes were chosen with our target buyer in mind - someone who is concerned about reducing his or her environmental footprint, but who is also looking for an elegantly designed home,” said Simon Tuohy of Urban Realty Partners, co-developer of the project along with Melaver, Inc., one of the Southeast’s foremost sustainable developers.
Located at 563 Memorial Drive with unobstructed views of the Atlanta skyline, Oakland Park features 65 one- and two-bedroom residences priced from the $190,000s and 6,400 square feet of street-front retail. The project is consistent with the principles of New Urbanism, located in a redeveloping corridor where high-density, mixed-use projects are replacing low-density development. With ready access to employment, entertainment and city amenities, new development in the area aims to maximize use of existing infrastructure and transit.
From the ground up, Oakland Park residences are built using a large variety of eco-friendly materials and products. The homes feature flooring made from rapidly-renewable bamboo in the kitchen and living rooms and carpet that meets the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label Plus program in bedrooms. Green Label Plus, overseen by independent labs, signifies that the carpet and adhesive products meet stringent criteria for low chemical emissions to help improve indoor air quality.
EcoCycle porcelain stone tiles from Crossville are located in the baths. Third-party certified for 40-percent recycled content, the tiles are not only made in an environmentally-friendly way but they are also manufactured in Tennessee, meeting LEED criteria for sourcing products within a 500-mile radius of Oakland Park.
A highlight of each unit will be large, operable windows that add significant day light and allow for outside air to circulate. Unit layouts were positioned to maximize daylight and highlight the surrounding views. Windows feature low-emittance (low-e) coatings to reduce heat transfer into the building, reducing energy usage during Atlanta’s hot summers. Residences boast high efficiency heating and cooling units, as well as Energy Star appliances. High performance plumbing fixtures such as dual flush toilets, and low VOC paints, sealants and adhesives were used throughout the homes.
All units have large balconies that provide shade in summer and additional light in winter. All residents have access to a roof-top garden and deck for entertaining, and six residences even have their own private gardens. Drought-resistant landscaping is incorporated along the exterior of the building. Additional eco-friendly features of the property include a site convenient to public transit, a high-density neighborhood location within walking distance to restaurants and shops and structured underground parking for residents to keep cars cool. More than 900 tons of construction waste from the site has been recycled to date.
Oakland Park is also one of the only condo residences in Atlanta to offer on-site recycling for residents. “We knew recycling would be an important feature for potential buyers, so we worked closely with Conex Recycling to set up our own system,” said Scott Doksansky, director of portfolio management for Melaver, Inc.
Oakland Park is a joint development between Atlanta-based Urban Realty Partners and Melaver, Inc. The site will include Stella Neighborhood Trattoria restaurant, a new concept from restaurateur Rich Chey, and retail space fronting Memorial Drive and Park Avenue. The building was designed by Surber, Barber, Choate & Hertlein Architects, and Catamount Residential Constructors is the general contractor. Sales of the residences are being handled by Morris & Raper Realtors. Retail brokerage is through Camden Commercial Real Estate.
Urban Realty Partners is an Atlanta-based real estate development organization that is focused on well-planned, mixed-use urban developments that enhance their neighborhoods while providing exceptional places to live, work and shop. Their developments are often in revitalized neighborhoods with pedestrian orientation and convenience to city transit, amenities, educational, retail and cultural centers, such as Alexan Terrace and The Reynolds in midtown Atlanta, The Brookwood in Buckhead and Puritan Mill on Atlanta’s west side.
Melaver, Inc. is a third-generation, sustainably focused real estate firm with holdings throughout the Southeast. Notable projects include one of the first Silver LEED designations from the US Green Building Council for an historic preservation project in Savannah (The Whitaker Building), as well as the nation’s first all retail LEED Core & Shell project (Abercorn Common Shopping Center) in Savannah that includes the first and only LEED McDonald’s. Eighty-five percent of Melaver’s staff are LEED accredited professionals, and the company is committed to examining the environmental, financial and social aspects of every project in which it is involved.
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